A major winter storm slammed into North Carolina early Sunday morning, Dec. 26, and moved up the East Coast through the day, hitting New England by evening.

Blizzard or near-blizzard conditions prevailed along the coast, with airline flights disrupted by the hundreds up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and driving made difficult by heavy snow, high winds, and limited visibility.

Ski resorts from Sugar Mountain in North Carolina to Jay Peak in Northern Vermont picked up significant, welcome natural snow, which was expected to continue falling through Monday, Dec. 27.

The storm dropped snow across the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and New England, and was heading into Eastern Canada Monday.

Resorts no doubt welcome the natural snow, but might wish the timing had been just a few days different, falling not the day after Christmas, but a bit earlier in the pre-holiday week.

Retailers are probably pleased that the snow did not interrupt pre-Christmas shopping, but might wish their post-Christmas sales were not being affected by tough travel conditions.

All travel is being disrupted and, while road conditions should grow easier starting this afternoon, Monday, Dec. 27, air traffic will likely remain snarled until the backlog of travelers is absorbed over the next day or two.

The jackpot in terms of snowfall amounts was Central New England, where more than 2 feet was expected by the end of the storm there late Monday.

Light snow began falling at Mount Snow in Southern Vermont by 8:30 a.m. Sunday, stopped for a couple of hours, then began again in late afternoon. Operations Manager Dave Moulton said Mount Snow's weather service was projecting at least 14 inches by storm's end.

A drive back from Dover, Vt., to Central Massachusetts Sunday evening found conditions growing more wintry through the trip, with high winds making it increasingly hard to see the road.

Four-wheel drive made it easy to go, but no easier to stop on slippery surfaces.

Skiers and snowboarders may welcome the snowstorm, but it is causing misery on many parts of the East Coast, with coastal flooding, power outages, and evacuations in some places.

New England has enjoyed the best early season run of snowmaking weather in memory this season, with slopes well-covered by manmade, so the natural snow is pure bonus for snowsports enthusiasts.